Heaven's call
by Sakura Rikami
Summary: They all had dark pasts and it haunts them continuously. When a certain Kitsune finally appears, would Uchiha Sasuke and the others finally gain the freedom and peace they so longed to have? SasuxOC, Narux?, NejixHina, ShikaxIno and GaaraxOC
1. Sins, Death and Rebirth

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto dies and goes to heaven. He was reincarnated to a pure Jinchuuriki, also known as Kyuubi. Though he has a human form and so does the others in heaven, Naruto starts to realize that something is terribly wrong with their lives.

**Author's Note: This is a suddenly inspiration I got and I've decided to probably develop it into a full blown story. I hope it interests the readers and all. Please read and review, so that I may do better. Sadly to say, no flames are allowed because it would be unfair for fans (if there are any) if I were to stop halfway due to discouraging comments.**

**Finally, please enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters. (except for my original character, Hikari.)

* * *

Chapter One: Sins, Death…and Rebirth

A large spear plunged itself into the young boy. His screams vibrated through the cold night air. Blood forming at his mouth, he said weakly, "W…Why…?"

The men with colored masks did nothing but stare at his withering form. This was cruelty at its most extreme, for the boy had done nothing wrong. The blond boy clutched the spear and tried to take it out, but failed. The pain was too excruciating and he had not much energy left after running for so long. He coughed and blood, the shade of crimson red, spilled onto the darkened floor.

"Why…why me…?" He asked once more, hopeful that he would find the answer through persistence.

A tinge of pity appeared in one of the men's heart and a guy with a scarred fox mask stood in front of him. "We have no choice. Your existence was far too dangerous for us to handle." The boy felt his vision starting to blur. Was this the end…? He blinked hard, hoping to stay awake. The red chakra around his body started to fade away and he started to take in heavy breaths.

"Just…because…I'm a Jinchuuriki…? Just because…I'm Kyuubi…?"

_This isn't fair._ He thought to himself. He did not choose to be Kyuubi. He did not choose to be the sacrifice. He was not in wrong. So…why him? The men gathered around the boy in a circle and started to form signs. They were going to seal the evil fox demon in the boy's body and finish it for good. The boy's crystal blue eyes shone in the night. There was no need to struggle though. It was already decided that he should die.

"We'll end your suffering." A familiar voice spoke up.

The boy, shocked by his discovery, looked up to see a man taking off his mask. The face was one that was extremely familiar and more or less fatherly to him. Slowly the person beside him also took off his mask, revealing another half-mask underneath and a slashed eye with red pupils.

"No…This…I…" The boy gasped. The pain was intense, but it was not from the wound. It was from his heart. "Iruka-sensei…Kakashi-sensei…Why…? I thought…you were the ones who never looked upon me as a monster…?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Iruka spoke sadly. "It's over."

"We can't protect you anymore." Kakashi added. Though his tone was supposed to be stoic, a short pause of intake was heard when he spoke the sentence.

Naruto was still staring in horror at the both of them when the rest of the members pulled out their kunai and swords. In unison, they stabbed the boy in one forceful blow. The boy, who had tried to get up earlier after seeing Iruka's and Kakashi's faces, fell silently to the ground. His tears spilled onto the floor with the mass amounts of blood.

"You're…all…liars." He whispered before fading into oblivion.

* * *

_Moonlight grazes through the night sky..._

_  
We're united here, you and I..._

_For as long as the prayer of hope doesn't fade..._

_I can still hear your voice._

Naruto awoke in darkness and heard a girl's voice singing. Where was he? A knock was heard right near his head and he winced. Wait…? A knock? How could anybody 'knock' on the darkness? "Hey. It's time for you to come out." A soft melancholy voice sounded. Feeling weird, Naruto pushed at the 'darkness' with all his might and a breaking sound was heard. Light streamed in and the boy came face to face with a beautiful girl.

As if someone was controlling his voice, he uttered, "Where…am I?"

The girl gave a warm smile and replied calmly, "You're in heaven. As you can see, you've just broken out of your egg of reincarnation and now…well…" She looked at him from top to bottom and continued, "I'm sure you feel much more different."

"Heaven…?" He repeated in disbelief. All his life, he has been called a monster and condemned. How in the world did he end up in Heaven? Naruto looked around and spotted broken pieces of egg shell and realized that the girl was telling the truth.

"Yup, Heaven." The girl winked and held his hands. She pulled his heavy form out of the remaining of the egg shell and threw a cloth over him. It was then Naruto realized that he was naked. Yes, from the top to the bottom.

"H…Hey!!" he exclaimed. Why was the girl so calm to see him completely naked? Shouldn't she at least scream in horror? The girl noticed his embarrassment and giggled in a lady-like manner. "I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that I'm the one who is supposed to invite all newcomers to Heaven and trust me…I've seen more naked bodies than you would ever imagine." She shuddered and shook her head. "You've a nice body. I've seen worse. Since…you know, everybody comes into the world naked. It's like…um….it's like…rebirth! Yeah, that's it. Rebirth."

Naruto nodded and tied the cloth to suit his body and make it seem more like clothes. "So it's like...when we're born as babies but this is much more advanced?"

"Yeah." She nodded, happy that Naruto managed to understand her weird explanation.

"By the way, my name is Hikari. What's yours?"

Naruto paused. It took him a while to gather his thoughts as he felt like he had not been thinking for ages. "My name is…Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh!" She smiled once more. "So it's Naruto-kun then! You can call me Hikari if you want." The blond boy nodded shyly, still unable to get over the fact that she saw him naked. "Okay….uh…Hikari-chan." Upon hearing him call her name in such a manner, Hikari's blue eyes lit up and she did a mini-dance.

_Okay...What the heck? Is she insane?_ Naruto thought apprehensively. Maybe coming to Heaven wasn't such a good idea after all. "Uh…Hikari-chan…? Why are you dancing?" The boy could not help but raise an eyebrow.

"It's because…" The girl started happily, "Not many people can call me by my name now. I'm just glad, Naruto-kun." The girl was beautiful and her character was more or less irresistible to the extend that one would find it hard to detest her. Hikari held Naruto's hand and practically dragged him to the edge of the platform. She kept saying something about 'the others would be pleased to meet you' or 'come on, let's go'.

"Wait! Hikari-chan! Isn't that a cliff?!?" Naruto screamed in horror as they neared the edge of the platform. _Shit! I'm going to die (again)!_ Thoughts ran through his mind as his foot left the platform. Hikari did not say anything. She simply jumped and Naruto closed his eyes for the impact if they were to fall.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes and gasped in disbelief. They were _flying_. If he squinted a little, he could see the sun in the horizon. "This is…" The words seemed to come from another person's mouth, but Naruto was sure it was him who said it. Looking up, the blond boy noticed a slight smile on Hikari's face. Above her were…_wings._ Not just any ordinary wings. They were a pure white color. Just like how people used to envision angels when Naruto still lived on earth.

"Hikari-chan…you…"

"Surprised?" She replied, looking down with a cheeky grin on her beautiful face.

"I…uh…well…yes…"

"Don't worry, you'll get your wings soon. Until then, you'll need a little help here and there."

"Are they…I mean…the others…" Naruto could not seem to find the words to describe the current situation.

"Well…" For the first time, a frown crossed her face. "There _are_ differences. Ever heard of different levels of status?" Naruto nodded quietly. Being the fox demon, Kyuubi, has shown him what it really meant to be…well…not normal.

"In Heaven, there exists many different kinds of…um…people. The highest class is also known as the white winged angels. This is because of our pure white wings and cleansed soul. Then the ones considered in the 'average class' are the angels with grey wings. They are what we call, a _mixed_ breed. This is the result when dark angels and white winged angels get together."

"Dark…angels?"

"Yes. They are considered the lowest of classes…because of their black colored wings. People say they carry the sins of everyone and should be condemned. Usually only really bad people have black colored wings, but I think it's just stereotyping. It isn't fair."

_It isn't fair._ Those words rang in Naruto's head.

"Why don't you think of them like the others?" He wanted to know. Why this girl did not condemn those whom others condemn. There was a light of hope in his heart. Even if he was Kyuubi right now, she might accept him.

"I…" She paused, evidently thinking hard. "Well… It's a secret."

"Secret…?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Her eyes seemed different all of the sudden. Like they contained something darker and more sorrowful. Naruto took it as his cue to keep quiet. He never liked probing into the painful pasts of others as his life was not exactly all fluffy and nice as well. A large gate loomed over them as they neared the main capital. Hikari flashed a pass at the guards and they were immediately let through.

The blue haired girl dropped Naruto onto the white stone floor and landed as well. "Well…" she started. "This is the main capital, Lituana. Would you like to meet the others?"

Naruto's crystal blue eyes scanned the area. It was a place like no other. There were puffs of cloud everywhere and the town felt…rather medieval. The sunlight was reflected off the gleaming brown tiles on the roofs of the houses and there were people dressed in the most amazingly cool looking clothes walking around. At least to him, that is. "Sure." Hikari nodded and started to walk towards a large castle in the city.

* * *

"This is where I stay." She told him simply as she gestured towards the large castle in front of them.

"You're kidding." Naruto twitched a little. How can a girl like her be staying in such a luxurious place? Maybe the gods paid the angels a lot more than the average human would think.

"No, I'm not." She started laughing gently.

Before Naruto could answer, a red haired boy appeared from the distance. As he neared, Naruto could feel a very heavy form of pressure pressing down on him. It felt like...he was actually _afraid_ of the guy. The blond haired boy kept silent and watched as the other person approached them. The red haired boy was wearing some sort of scarf and a dark long coat that stretched all the way to the part that was slightly above his ankles. His eyes had black rings around them and there was a small gourd that hung from a belt that was worn slanted. If looks could kill, Naruto would have been dead by then. The boy kept glaring at him till he reached Hikari.

"Hikari-sama. Where have you been again?" The boy who was as old as him spoke irritably. He was frowning, but Naruto could tell that there was a tinge of concern when he spoke to her.

"Gaara-kun!" She smiled and gave him a friendly hug. The boy hesitated but still gave in to her in the end. They broke off and Gaara continued, "You still haven't answered my question…" He folded his arms impatiently. Apparently, he did not like to talk much.

"I…was…uh…fetching a friend."

"What friend?"

"Um…this friend!" She pulled Naruto in front of her, as if he was her shield and grinned at Gaara. Naruto almost wanted to scream; yet something told him that if he so much as made a noise in front of this 'Gaara' guy, he would be dead (again) in a matter of seconds. Gaara stared at him from top to bottom.

"Uh…hey." Naruto grinned awkwardly while rubbing his head.

Gaara did not say anything, but out of politeness, he simply nodded to acknowledge his existence. "Hikari-sama. You'll be the death of me." He stated half-sarcastically, while sighing. "You know how irritating Ino can be. Instead, you choose to let her disturb and _scream_ at me about how you've gone missing."

Hikari grimaced and shot a pitying look at Gaara. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bring you so much trouble."

"You owe me one." His emerald eyes flashed evilly.

"Awww…" Hikari looked down sadly. "Must I…?"

"No."

"Pretty please…? It wasn't on purpose…"

"No, and that's final." Gaara started walking away from them, his long black coat swishing in the wind behind him. Hikari sighed. Noticing the perplexed look on his face, Hikari explained to Naruto. "I'm sorry. That person you've just met is called Gaara. He's my first guardian. I know…he's rather moody and all, but if you look underneath all that, he's a really nice guy." Saying so, a smile lit Hikari's face. "He's changed a lot."

"You mean…he used to be much more murderous than this?" Naruto's eyebrow raised itself automatically.

Hikari giggled. "Well, yeah. If he were the Gaara he used to be, you'd be dead by now; possibly in a bloodied mangled mess."

_Hell._ Naruto shook his head apprehensively. "And you just _hugged_ him like that."

"What can I say…?" Hikari flashed a grin at him. As usual, her smiles were filled with secrets and Naruto could not help but wonder about the rest of the people who knew her.

Hikari broke his train of thoughts when she spoke, "Well. Let's get you some nice clothes before we continue with exploring the place. Okay?"

"Uh…sure…"

Little did Naruto know that he was in for the biggest surprises in his life.

* * *

Sakura: End of chapter one. Please read and review! No flames please.

Preview into next chapter: Naruto enters the large castle and starts to meet everybody one by one! The one that struck his attention the most was the dark winged angel, Uchiha Sasuke. Why is he so bitter and why does Gaara have an obsession with raccoon dolls?!


	2. Bad Blood

Sakura: There was a review that suggested that Naruto should have a white wing on one side and a black wing on the other. I have to say that the idea seems feasible for now…but I'll have to wait and see.

Once again, please enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Two: Bad Blood 

Gaara opened the large wooden doors slowly. Once he was inside, he called out, "Ino. Hikari-sama is back." As if she could hear his voice from a thousand miles away, a blond haired girl slammed open the doors of a room on the second floor. She was wearing a furious expression on her face and stormed down straight to the first floor.

Just then, Hikari and Naruto walked into the same hall as them. Somehow, it seemed like a big mistake.

"Hikari-sama!" She screamed angrily. "Where the hell have you been?! Everybody's worried sick about you!" Hikari winced and hurriedly muttered an apology. Ino shook her head disapprovingly, "Apologizing isn't going to save you this time! Hinata-sama and the rest are here now. Thank goodness you're back! Otherwise how in the world am I going to explain to them about your disappearance?"

"Hinata's here?" Hikari looked up happily. Also, hoping to change the topic quickly and Ino would not be that mad at her.

"Yes. She's in the room with Neji."

"That's wonderful! I have someone to introduce to them."

Holding Naruto's hand, Hikari ran up the stairs rapidly. Naruto was having a puzzled expression on his face. Gaara did not say anything, and simply followed them. Ino, on the other hand, realized Naruto's presence and was about to tell Hikari off for bringing a stranger home. She was too slow however, as the door slammed shut and the blond haired girl was left standing in the hallway alone.

"Mou…Hikari-sama is always so…" She rubbed her head as if she was suffering from a headache.

"Impulsive?" A male voice sounded from behind her.

Turning around, Ino spotted a guy with his brown hair tied up in a bunch behind of him walking towards her. "Oh…Shika-kun." A light smile danced on her lips. The boy simply shrugged and muttered something like 'Troublesome'. "Look's like you've got your hands full." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and stated simply. Ino sighed and replied irritably, "Yeah. However, she's still our Maiden. We can't just leave her to die or anything right?"

"Are you even loyal to her?" His observations told him that Ino was faltering.

"Yes." For once, the girl gave a determined look. "She is the one…who saved us all from our own darkness, after all."

"That's good to hear." He stifled a yawn and gave a stretch. "Do you want to go get a drink? It's my treat." Shikamaru signaled towards the large garden behind the castle.

"Sure." Ino smiled happily and practically hopped alongside of him as they exited the hall.

* * *

:Inside the room: 

"Hinata! It's been a long time!" Hikari gave Hinata a quick hug and held her at arm's length. "How have you been?"

The girl with the pearl-like eyes giggled shyly and replied, "I'm fine. It's just that things are getting busy and all, after I've been officially given the title of 'Maiden'." Hikari's blue eyes sparkled as they gazed at Hinata teasingly. "Well…you'll just have to get used to it. Besides…You have_ Neji-niisan_ with you." The way she spoke of his name sent shivers down Hinata's spine. The girl tried to send a glare at Hikari but given her kind nature, failed terribly. "Mou…Please don't tease me like that…" Hikari simply nodded, "Didn't I say the last sentence in a whisper? Don't worry; he's never going to hear about it."

"Hear about what?" The person whom they have been talking about finally broke his silence.

Hinata nearly jumped as she had almost forgotten about his presence in the room. Shaking her head furiously, she answered, "N…No…! There's…ab…absolutely…nothing!" Neji raised his eyebrow in suspicion. Then, he gave a half-shrug and focused his attention on Naruto.

"Who is this?"

Naruto tried his best to smile and stuck out a hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?" Neji stared at his hand as if it contained something dirty. "Neji. My name is Hyuuga Neji." He finally spoke after a long minute of contemplation. Naruto twitched a little in anger. _This guy is as friendly as Gaara... or perhaps even worse._ "Well, yeah. Nice to meet you." Naruto's hand dropped back to his side and he started to observe the two new people in front of him.

_If there is anything they have in common, it's their eyes. Are they blind or something?_ The two Hyuugas have eyes which are actually white in color. Yet somehow, Naruto feels as though they could see everything around them. It reminded him about something like the… 'Eyes of the heart', which was a sort of skill someone once told him. It is successfully learned when one is completely blind and as a result, his or her other senses are amazingly much more alert to make up for the loss of their eyes. Still, this skill did not seem quite right with the both of them. _Hinata looks at Hikari directly when they talk. Plus, I am quite sure that Neji was glaring at me just now._ Unable to contain his curiousity, Naruto did not hesitate to ask them for the reason behind their eyes.

"Hey…uh…Hinata." He figured it would be much safer to ask Hinata than Neji.

Within seconds, Neji did a complex movement which let him pin Naruto to the wall. Alarmed, Naruto screamed, "Dude! What the hell?!" Snarling, Neji's eyes seemed to be scanning him for any dangerous weapons of some sort.

"You _will_ address her as Lady Hinata or Hinata-sama." He demanded in a cold tone.

Frustrated, Naruto practically wanted to tear the guy's head off. "To hell with you! It's only a figure of speech! As if it really matters whether I call her by her status or not!" The blond haired boy struggled to break free from Neji's grasp, but he was too strong and to say the truth, it has not been long since he broke free from the egg of reincarnation. This meant that his powers are not exactly strong or even identified yet. To Neji, Naruto was simply a useless human who decide not to follow Heavenly rules.

"Neji-niisan…It's okay. Please let go of him…" A soft voice panicked from behind.

Without looking back, Neji replied, "Hinata-sama. Morons like him should be punished for not knowing his place. The rules have to be abided. I won't let such an uncouth barbarian insult you so."

"What did you say?!" Naruto aimed a punch at him but missed. "I _dare_ you to say that again!"

"Stupid. Moronic. Barbarian."

"That's it-"

Just before he could really get his hands on Neji, Hikari yelled, "Stop it, you two!" Both boys paused momentarily to gaze at the now angry Maiden in front of them. She walked over to them and glared at Neji. "Neji, I would appreciate it if you let my friend go." Neji gave her a half puzzled, half defiant look. He was wondering why a Maiden of her status would befriend such a moron and at the same time, unwilling to let Naruto go. Once again, it took him a long time to think about whether he should let go. It was until Hinata told him to let go once more, that he finally released Naruto.

Naruto held his shirt and grumbled, "Stupid bastard…Don't know what's your problem." Hikari was inspecting whether he was alright and Neji did not answer. Instead, he resumed his normal position where he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.

Hinata sensed that the situation was tense, decided to bring Neji away from Naruto for the time being. "Um…Hikari-sama… If it's okay with you, I'll take my leave now." She asked timidly. "Huh? Oh, sure. I'll see you at 7pm today then." Gestured a goodbye wave and went over to open the door for them. Hinata smiled and walked out gracefully. Neji, however, had better things on his mind.

Just as he was walking out after Hinata, he whispered into Naruto's ear. "Don't get too cocky." This was then followed by a death glare from him.

Naruto simply shrugged and grinned, "Ah…I'm not sure."

Holding back his anger, Neji exited the room and bowed to Hikari before closing the door.

* * *

:Around 1 hour later…: 

"Hm…Let's see."

"H…Hey! Hikari-chan! W…What the…!" Naruto protested as he was stuffed into a complex looking garment. Hikari helped him wear it and was fixing the edges here and there. Standing back, she smiled and nodded to show that her decision was right.

"See? It looks good on you."

The boy blushed as he saw his reflection in the mirror Hikari had put in front of him. He was wearing a short-sleeved light orange shirt with long baggy white pants; a silver chain hung along his waist and drooped slightly on one end. Hikari had also put a short black choker on him that has a silver cross in the middle as well. She gave him black-white striped wristbands to decorate his arm a little and surprisingly, it worked well.

Naruto did not know what to say. So he said something which everybody would say in such a situation. "Uh…I…Thanks…"

"You're welcome." Hikari nodded happily.

It was then Naruto noticed a couple of black and blue clothes on the bed nearby, and went over to pick them up. _Cool colors._ He thought. _Maybe it would make me look mysterious or something._ Excited at the prospect that he would be a lady magnet or something, Naruto turned to Hikari and held up the clothes.

"Hey, Hikari-chan. Can I try these clothes on?"

"Oh…sure…" She replied, apparently quiet distracted with folding the clothes and putting them back into the cupboard. It took her a while to realize which clothes he was holding up.

"Huh…? Oh no! I mean…WAIT!" she nearly jumped up and snatched the clothes from Naruto. Shocked at her sudden behavior, Naruto simply stood there, stunned.

"Hi…Hikari-chan…?"

"This...I mean…These clothes are…" She blushed an extremely dark shade of red, "This is…uh…I…"

"Whose clothes are those?" Naruto asked straightforwardly, without thinking as usual.

"They are…" She looked down and uttered something very quietly. "…"

"I'm sorry, Hikari-chan…It's not that I'm trying to make fun of you or something, but I really can't hear you."

The poor embarrassed girl looked up and muttered something along the lines of 'Sa' something. Naruto decided not to push her any further and shrugged, "Well, if you don't want to say it, it's okay with me."

It was then she gave a relieved look and folded the clothes and placed them in a 'special' corner in the cupboard. "I'm sorry." She gave him an apologetic look.

"It's okay. Anyways, you said you were going to meet Hinata at 7pm today right? Is there something going on?"

"Yes…There's a festival going on tonight at the central square and I've arranged with her to go see the fireworks. Also, we could play around the stalls while we're at it."

"That sounds nice. Mind if I come along?"

"Sure." Then the both of them sat down quietly, with Hikari folding the rest of the clothes (yes, there is a lot which were taken out.) and Naruto sitting on the bed, watching her.

* * *

:In another Manor…: 

A raven haired man sat on the 'throne' that was located in the middle of the house. He cocked his head to one side and partially rested his face on his right arm, which he positioned on the arm rest. At first, he appeared to be sleeping, until another person who was younger than him opened the dark black doors at the side and stepped into the hall.

Slowly, his eyes opened to reveal a blood red pupil and rings of symbols inside of it. With a stern look on his face, he stared at the 'intruder' and frowned.

"Sasuke. Where do you think you're going?"

"Out." The younger person, who resembled him, replied emotionlessly.

"You have to explain much better than that."

"I said I'm going out already."

This made the man sit up straight on the throne and gaze at him dangerously. "I told you…That's not a good excuse. Besides, what would you need to go out for?"

"None of your business." The boy snapped and turned around, revealing the same eyes as the man. Both of them glared at each other with intense dislike and hatred.

"I'm sure it isn't. In fact, I don't care. Problem is, you're our family's _prized possession_ and I'm sure Father would not like you to go out so often."

"Prized possession?" A short laugh was heard from Sasuke. "More like your _killing machine._ Face it, Itachi. They never saw me as a son. I'm nothing more but a puppet…or a tool for them."

Itachi stood up from the throne and in a split second, he was beside Sasuke. "You _will_ obey." He whispered into Sasuke's ear. Shocked and angry, Sasuke swung his arm to hit Itachi's face, but his arm was caught but Itachi's left hand. "I already said…" Then Sasuke broke free of his grasp and aimed a punch at Itachi's head. By now his arm was glowing with a blue fire and he looked quite armed and dangerous without even needing to take out his gun. "It's none of your business!" His swipe at Itachi burned his clothes a little and he was not exactly pleased.

"Looks like someone needs to learn how to obey orders." Saying so, Itachi took out a long sharp blade. "Take out your gun, Sasuke. It's time to spar."

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke pulled out a special looking gun from his coat and aimed it at Itachi. The gun was designed to block attacks (if used well) and to deliver heavy blows on the enemy; not to mention to shoot people. It was more or less a perfect weapon.

"You'll regret ever stopping me."

* * *

:7pm, at the festival: 

"Awww…He's late." Hikari looked around worriedly.

"Who's late, Hikari-chan?" Naruto's crystal blue eyes scanned the area.

"A very important person…" She replied distractedly.

Naruto looked over at Hinata and Neji and frowned. "Who _is_ she waiting for?" Neji ignored him while Hinata smiled. "Naruto-kun, why don't you relax a little and be patient? I'm sure you'll find out soon." Naruto nodded and sat down on a nearby wooden stump. His thoughts disturbed him once more. _Important...person?_

"Hinata- Uh…I mean…Hinata-sama…what kind of person is she waiting for?"

Hinata looked down shyly and responded, "You don't really have to add the 'sama' behind... It sounds weird coming from you."

"Oh." Naruto rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. He was just making sure that Neji did not 'ambush' him once again, like in the afternoon.

"Well…I have to say he's quite a mysterious person. We get to see him every now and then, but that's all. I heard he's from a well-known family, the Uchiha Clan."

"The Uchiha clan…?"

Before he could ask any further, Hikari suddenly started running off in another direction. "H…Hey! Hikari-chan!" Naruto called out, but she did not look back. Instead, she was practically charging forward, as if someone's life depended on it. Hinata gave him a worried look and the three followed her to a deserted pier by beside the festival. Watching her approaching someone in the shadows, Neji and Naruto were about to stop her when a voice spoke up.

"I'm…sorry…That I'm late…" The voice belonged to a male and he sounded like he was exhausted. Hikari said nothing but seemed to be caressing his face. "Oh god…What have they done to you…?" Her fingers just cupped his left cheek as he continued to breathe heavily. The moon shifted and a gasp was heard from Hinata. Naruto watched silently as the form of the shadow was slowly revealed.

It was a boy his age. He had raven hair and was dressed in a black long overcoat with dark blue shirt and black long pants underneath. At least…that what Naruto thought he would be wearing if it was not for his clothing being torn all over. His long coat was practically sliced into half and blood was oozing out from his hands, legs and body. What struck him most was that the boy's wings were…black in color.

_A dark angel._ Naruto murmured to himself. Somehow, Hikari's words came flooding back to him. _"They are considered the lowest of classes...because of their black colored wings. People say they carry the sins of everyone and should be condemned."_

"_It isn't fair."_ His thoughts paused once again on the same words. So this was why she felt that the dark angels were being misunderstood? It was just because she knew someone who is a dark angel.

Hikari looked like she was close to tears. "Did _he_ do this?"

"Yeah…It was…Itachi." The raven haired boy tried to hide that he was in pain, but it was all too obvious in such a situation. Hikari tried to heal his wounds but Sasuke stopped her. "I'm fine. I just need some rest." He gave her a small smile that was barely noticeable for anybody except her. "But…" The girl's blue eyes reflected not only the moonlight, but worry as well.

"Don't worry. I said I'm fine already." In a flash, his dark wings disappeared and he looked very normal, except for the fact that he was bleeding all over.

Naruto simply stood there, dumbfounded. _Angels can do that?_

"You know, you really should get your wounds bandaged." The kitsune finally decided to say something instead of keeping quiet. The dark angel gave him a look that resembled a half-glare and half-amused expression.

"Who is _he_?" He pointed rudely to Naruto.

Hikari finally took her eyes off of the boy's wounds and gazed at Naruto, "He's a new friend, Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy walked towards him elegantly, if it was not for the fact that Naruto saw his wings, he would have thought of him as some kind of prince. It was as if he had some kind of royal blood in him. His black colored eyes surveyed Naruto carefully. After a long minute of silence, he finally spoke.

"Usuratonkachii."

Naruto nearly hit him, but he resisted and simply gave a twitch in anger. "Teme…What did you _say_?"

"Has anybody ever told you that you look stupid?" The boy gave an amused look and sneered at him. "No…! Of course not!" Naruto replied almost immediately, but his words were not exactly convincing. _Well...Neji did say I'm a moron or something... So I guess it counts?_

As if he was able to read his thoughts, the boy gave another sneer. "I doubt so. By the way, in case you were wondering, my name is Uchiha Sasuke."

"I _didn't_ ask for your name." Naruto replied spitefully.

"That's why you're stupid."

The blond boy wanted to rebut him but Sasuke suddenly gave a dazed look and fell over onto the floor. Hikari ran over as quickly as she could, "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Wake up!" She patted him lightly on the face but he did not respond. "Maybe you should hit him harder." Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at the dark angel.

"Naruto-kun!" Hikari shot him a glare and then proceeded to try and lift Sasuke off the floor.

"I _did_ say that he should have got those wounds treated. It's practically common sense to heal the wounds before you bleed to death. But **NO**…he just _had_ to play the 'cool-guy-who-does-not-need-treatment'." Apparently, someone was still angry at being called a moron twice in a day.

Hikari gave a low sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to be so…insulting."

"Fine. I'll forgive him this once, since you are the one who apologized." Naruto bent down and slung one of Sasuke's arms over his shoulder. Both Hikari and him lifted Sasuke and prepared to drag him back to the castle. "Oh…Hinata-chan, is it okay with the both of you if I went back earlier today?" Hikari gave her an apologetic look.

"Sure." Hinata smiled warmly. "I'll just explore the place with Neji-niisan then."

"Thanks." The Maidens nodded to each other and the group was split into two.

* * *

Upon their arrival at the castle, the two were surprised to find Gaara waiting for them. 

"Ga…Gaara…?" Hikari muttered disbelievingly.

The red haired boy was leaning against the wall beside the gate and closing his eyes. Sensing their presence, he opened his eyes and spoke emotionlessly. "I smelt blood." His eyes went from Hikari to the injured Sasuke.

"Not _him_ again." Gaara was actually giving a huge hint that he disliked someone.

Hikari decided to ignore his comment, while Naruto was wondering whether he was talking about Sasuke's presence or how he got hurt. "Gaara, do you mind if Sasuke-kun took your bed today?" The blue eyed angel pleaded innocently. There is no way she was going to let an injured person sleep on the sofa.

"Why can't he take the sofa?" Gaara replied bitterly.

"Gaara…Please." She sighed.

"Whatever. I'll take the sofa then." He walked away, somehow angry that Hikari cared so much for the dark angel.

_Wait a minute._ Naruto's thoughts buzzed around in his mind. The situation is too obvious now. _Gaara...likes her?_ He figured it out as he put two and two together. Hikari was either completely oblivious to the situation or she was ignoring his feelings.

The two dragged Sasuke to Gaara's room and flipped him onto the bed. "Naruto-kun, I'll go get the first aid kit. Please stay here with Sasuke-kun for now." With that, she left the room.

Naruto walked over to the injured person and bent down. "Teme… You're really sickening, you know that?" Somehow, he meant it. Yet again, Naruto was not really trying to mean. After all, Sasuke seemed to be very similar to him. "I mean…with Hikari liking you and all. She doesn't even notice other guys who are _much better than you._"

_Poor Gaara._ Naruto only knew Gaara for a day or so, but at least he was polite. Plus Naruto can tell that Gaara really cared for Hikari.

Sasuke gave a grunt and Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. Then the raven haired boy went back to being unconscious. His chest heaved as he took in slow steady breaths. "Hell. You never cease to make me dislike you." The blond boy muttered under his breath. Naruto walked over to the window and stared out at the night sky.

He started to wonder about how his life changed ever since he died. Even though it has only been one day, it feels like forever. _Well...one thing's for sure. The moon here is as beautiful as the one at home._ Naruto felt nostalgic about his home, Konoha. Even though the village has more or less betrayed him, it had once given him a sense of belonging.

_This feels like a dream. Maybe I would wake up and find myself still on the ground, but not dead yet._

"Naruto-kun." A soft voice called out from behind of him. The boy turned to face the person and he smiled. "Hikari-chan. You're back." The girl placed the first aid kit on the floor beside the bed and went over to him. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" He tried to laugh, but it sounded really weird; it sounded like he was choking on something.

"……You look like you're about to cry."

"I'm not." _Maybe I am, but I'm not going to cry in front of you._

The Maiden gave a heavy sigh. "Please don't cry. I'm sure you'll feel better about this place soon."

"How did you guess that I was thinking about my human world?"

"Most of us do." She replied sadly. "Not all of us are born in Heaven, Naruto-kun. We still have memories of our past life before we arrive here." Naruto was a little shocked. He had thought that everybody here have always been in Heaven.

"Hikari-chan…How about you?"

"I…"

"Does it have something to do with Sasuke?" His gaze went over to the sleeping figure on the bed.

"Almost." She looked out of the window and Naruto could not tell what kind of expression she was wearing on her face.

"He looked like someone I once loved." She spoke again, in an absentminded tone.

"What happened…? In your past life I mean."

Hikari turned and smiled at him. In the moonlight, she really looked heavenly. It was no wonder she was a white winged angel. Naruto almost felt himself melt under her gaze. "It was forbidden love. I was the daughter of a Lord and he was an assassin. We met when he was supposed to assassinate my father. I managed to stop him and from then on, we just had these weird feelings for each other. Slowly, the small feelings of ours developed into love. Yet it was not able to last."

"Why…?" Naruto wanted to know. He did not know why. Maybe he was simply curious.

"My father found out. He ordered for the guards to capture him. Of course, being the skilled assassin he was, they were unsuccessful. Then he came to me and asked me to run away with him. I loved him too much to let go. So I agreed. However…on that fateful day…"

She took in a deep breath. "We were caught just right before the gates of the city. The door looked so close, yet so far. The guards surrounded us and my father roared for me to go back to him. I didn't want to, and refused. The last thing I remember before gunshots were heard was looking into his sad face. There was so much grief and sorrow between us." Finishing her story, she exhaled slowly as if she has been walking an extremely long journey.

"What's his name?"

She thought hard for a second. "It was Kira."

"Oh." _It's not someone I know then. _"So…you only liked Sasuke because he looks like your dead boyfriend or something?" Naruto tried to be tactful, but failed miserably.

Surprisingly, Hikari giggled. "No, silly. We don't love people just because they look like someone whom we once lost. We love them for who they are. Sasuke-kun isn't Kira, I know that."

"But…" Naruto started and once again, he was interrupted.

"Ah!" Hikari exclaimed suddenly. "I forgot to help Sasuke-kun dress his wounds!" Within seconds, she was beside the raven haired boy and healing his wounds. She signaled for Naruto to walk over and help lift him up so that she could do a proper job of bandaging. At first, the blond haired boy stood by the window silently; he then started walking over to help her.

Both of them were oblivious to the shadow standing outside on the ledge by the window. The emerald eyes of the person shone as he looked up into the moon. His black coat flapped in the wind as he stood listening to their conversation quietly. It was not really his habit to do so, but he happened to hear and the subject got him curious.

"We love people for who they are…huh." He muttered to himself.

With a slight shrug, the red haired boy jumped off the ledge and landed gracefully on the floor, even though it was about three to four storey high. He never knew Hikari had such a past. Somehow, her words got him thinking once again.

Maybe that was why he swore to protect her. Though he knew from the start, his feelings for her would not be returned; he felt that if he could just stay by her side…everything would be okay.

Even if he had to sacrifice his life for her someday, he would never regret it.

* * *

Sakura: Chapter two is up! Please read and review. Oh yeah…I've realized that the story didn't really go according to what I told you guys in the preview thing, but you've got to understand that I wrote a couple of drafts and decided the best one. Therefore, the story turned out to be a little different. I'm sure it's still good however. I'm not exactly quite sure of what I'm going to write in the next chapter, so there would be no preview this time. 

Lastly, **please** **read and review!** (Please don't just read and walk away, hoping for another chapter.) I need suggestions and feedback on whether you guys like the story. Remember: **REVIEWS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME.** (Yes, I'm rather desperate, aren't I?)


	3. The Assassin and the Demon

Chapter Three: The assassin and the demon

"_Father...what is this? Why...?" A terrified boy backed up against the wall as his father ordered the guards to capture him and place in a cell. Not just a cell though, the darkest and most horrible cell they had in the vicinity._

" _Sasuke. It's time for you to stop fooling around and live up to our family's name." The raven haired man spoke nonchalantly as he watched his son being pinned down onto the ground by his guards. The boy's fists started glowing with a blue kind of fire and he burned the arms of the guards. Scrambling up, he ran past his father and placed his hand on the door._

_It was locked._

"_No...This can't be..." His eyes darted around and searched for other means of escape, but it was futile. He could see through the darkness of the night and spotted the red Sharingan focusing its gaze on him. "St...Stay away from me!" Sasuke yelled, his voice shook and his body was trembling furiously._

_The guards took out different weapons each and every single one of them charged at Sasuke at the same time. The boy went into a frenzy as his small but deadly glowing fists collided with the first guard's face. It was like he was controlled to kill or something. Like a rhythmic pattern, he slammed his legs and fists into the different body parts of the guards and they all fell one by one. The last guard finally reached him as Sasuke's eyes continued to glow a menacing red. The guard thrust a spear into Sasuke's right body but he dodged it and grabbed it. By now, the boy had turned into some kind of killing machine. It was as if his soul was lost in the eternal abyss of darkness and was still spiraling down further._

"_Burn." He spoke coldly and immediately the blue fire spread from his arms to the spear and reduced the man to ashes in a few seconds._

_A clapping sound was heard as he let the spear drop from his hand onto the ground. His father appeared and Sasuke glared at him, while making low growling sounds like an animal. "You are indeed impressive, my son. That's how you should be."_

_Out of the sudden, golden hoops circled him and closed in. The hoops bound to him tightly and Sasuke snarled angrily. "Let me go!" His father simply shook his head. "I'm afraid not. For you see...you are my son and the heir to the Uchiha family. Your powers are too great for you to handle alone."_

_The demon in Sasuke continued to burn and consume him. In just a matter of seconds, he was transformed from a terrified young boy to a ruthless, cold-blooded killing machine. "Shut up!" He screamed and he tugged at the hoops. It was too tight and they were hurting him with the light they contained._

"_You are a wonderful, perfect killing machine, my son. You are our elite assassin."_

"_No...!" He yelled out as the hoops lifted his small form and dragged him to the darkest cell; the cell where he would be kept for many years to come._

"_Let me go!" The raven haired boy gripped the cold metal bars tightly. His eyes burned with a look of insanity. "I hate this! I HATE YOU!" His father ignored his cries and simply locked the main door without even turning around to look at him. The door shut with a heavy metal sound, as if it has been rusting for a long time. Sasuke started to lose hope and he slumped down, with his front facing the bars._

_A tear fell from his cheek. "Someone...Somebody...Anybody..."_

_His dark wings fell limp to the floor. It was over. His father always wins._

"_Please save me."

* * *

_

Slowly, the raven haired boy opened his eyes to find himself gazing at a peach colored ceiling. Still feeling weak and groggy, he groaned and placed a hand at his forehead. How long had he been asleep? Where was he? Questions flooded his mind as he tried to sit up but failed. Turning to his right side, he saw a girl standing by the door that leads to the balcony.

"Hikari." He murmured as he watched her stand by the morning light. His gaze became soft and contented. Hikari was looking out and enjoying the peaceful and beautiful scenery beyond the balcony. Feeling somebody's gaze on her, she turned around and smiled as she saw Sasuke looking at her.

"You're finally awake." Her lips moved and a soft, melancholy voice came out.

The dark angel nodded and she walked slowly towards him. "How are your injuries coming along?" Sasuke replied with a grunt. "They're fine." His raven eyes met her blue ones and he felt mesmerized.

"You shouldn't seduce me early in the morning like that." Sasuke teased as he reached out for her hand. Hikari giggled and replied, "What makes you think that I'm trying to seduce you?" He gave an elegant shrug and finally held her hand.

"You were standing at the window…and you looked like an angel."

"Sasuke-kun…" She felt herself being pulled closer towards him and she snuggled up against his chest. Her feelings for him; how would she explain it? It was by no doubt the deepest kind of love she had ever felt in her life. "I _am_ a white winged angel…you know."

"Yeah…but I don't think it had anything to do with how beautiful you always look." A grin appeared on his handsome features and Hikari sighed; yet somehow contentedly. "You're just trying to make me happy."

"I suppose that I've succeeded?" The raven haired boy chuckled as he placed his lips onto hers and drove the both of them into a slow, passionate kiss. Then slowly, he slipped his tongue in and played around with hers. Their kiss proved to them from time to time again about how strongly they felt for each other. Then Sasuke broke off gently and held Hikari closely to him. He had remembered the awful dream that he had moments ago.

"Sasuke-kun…?"

"Mmmm. I love you, Hikari." His eyes twinkled, somehow happy. After all, it was Hikari who saved him.

"I know. Yet you really like to keep me guessing sometimes."

"Well, it makes things much more…enjoyable." A slight grin lit his face once again.

Hikari poked his forehead playfully. "Don't get any dirty ideas."

Sasuke buried his face into her smooth, silky blue hair. He took in her scent and spoke in a muffled way, "I'm not getting any dirty ideas. I pride myself on being a very…gentlemanly person."

Hikari paused for a moment. "You_ do_ know that some of the girls told me that you were like a…how should we say…sex god? Also known as someone who is _extremely_ seductive."

Sasuke pretended to be surprised. "Are you sure?"

The angel's blue eyes met his raven ones again and she frowned, "You better not let me catch you betraying me." Sasuke, being a naughty person, once again attempted to seduce her in any way possible. His hands wrapped around her body and he nuzzled her silky blue hair once again. "Why should I look for other girls when I have the best person right here with me?"

Hikari decided not to let him the pleasure of knowing that he was winning and wriggled out of his grasp. "You're not going to get me today." A smile was seen on her angelic face. Sasuke frowned; she _was_ hard to get.

"Besides, you owe me a trip to a festival." She sat down by his side on the bed. Her expression changed suddenly from a playful look to a serious one and she frowned.

"You were groaning in your sleep and it seemed like you were in extreme pain. What's going on? Did you have a bad dream or something?"

Sasuke did not say anything. He had chosen to keep quiet because if he did not, that would mean that he had to lie to her. Hikari was quite observant and she could almost guess his troubles. "Sasuke-kun. You shouldn't keep those things to yourself. Tell me…I'll share your pain with you."

"Hn." He grunted. Nothing would make him lose his pride in front of someone like Hikari. "It was nothing."

"You're still lying to me." She sighed.

"I'm not. It wasn't anything important."

"Is it something about your past?"

The Uchiha winced. Why was Hikari always right? It felt unfair that he could not keep anything from her. Reluctantly, he gave a small nod. Surprisingly, she said nothing and simply held his hands. With a look that showed that she was deep in thought, she was about to say something when a familiar voice yelled out from under the balcony.

"Hikari-chan!!!!" The blond shouted noisily.

Sasuke slapped his forehead and stood up, which rather surprised both Hikari and him as he could not do so a moment ago. Taking a slipper, he aimed it at Naruto's forehead and screamed back, "Shut up, Usuratonkachii!" The slipper hit Naruto squarely on the face and he bent down on the floor while clutching his face. Hikari joined up with Sasuke and stood beside him, giggling. "Hey, Naruto-kun!" She smiled and waved happily. From below, Naruto saw the two standing together and frowned. "Teme! Why didn't you tell me that you're awake?"

"Who in the world wouldn't wake up if you screamed like that?" The raven haired boy took another bathroom slipper and aimed it at Naruto once more. This time, the Kitsune was smart and he dodged it gracefully. Grinning widely, he was about to tease Sasuke for missing a shot at him when a glass cup was flung at him.

"HOLY!" The glass cup missed Naruto and shattered into pieces onto the ground.

Looking up angrily, Naruto bellowed, "What the hell was that?"

"It's a cup if you hadn't noticed!" Sasuke frowned and rubbed his temples. He was having a bad headache all of the sudden. Suddenly, he felt a tug at his sleeve and found Hikari to be looking worriedly at him. "Do you need to rest some more?" The dark winged angel shook his head and proceeded to spread his wings. The darkness appeared behind of him and he jumped off the balcony. Seeing the surprised look on Naruto's face, Sasuke grinned.

"I know you're jealous." He landed on the ground safely.

"Who said I was?" The kitsune tried to hide that he was actually quite envious.

Hikari also landed on the floor and her white colored wings were behind her. It was quite an amazing sight, watching the two different colored pairs of wings shining in the sun. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. You'll be getting your wings by today. Since we're all awake, let's go to the temple now." Hikari smiled and Sasuke gave a shrug. The blond simply nodded and the three were about to exit the gates when Gaara appeared, leaning on the side of the wall.

"So you were just going to go without me?" His cold voice sounded.

"Ga…Gaara…" Naruto felt uneasy. Was he mad at them?

Hikari shook her head. "It doesn't need many people and usually you dislike going to witness the ceremony…So I thought you didn't want to go."

"Hn."

Gaara did not felt like explaining much, so he walked out and headed for the temple, with the other three following behind him.

* * *

The temple was a huge area that the angels deemed as sacred. When the foursome arrived at the doors of the temple, Naruto could already feel the surge of power in which it contained. It reminded him of Kyuubi and he felt rather afraid.

"We're here." Hikari mentioned and she stepped forward to greet the priestesses. They seemed familiar with her and gave a warm smile while greeting back. "You're here again, Hikari-sama." The angel nodded. It was her duty, after all. She had to come often and pray for the good-will of everyone in Heaven.

"Naruto-kun. Come and stand here…" Hikari motioned towards the middle of the pavement which had circular symbols and incantations on it. Apprehensively, the boy stepped forward onto the symbols.

Hikari stood quietly facing Naruto, while Gaara and Sasuke stood by the sides of the circle as well. The three of them formed a triangle shape in comparison to the circle and Hikari closed her eyes to start praying. She knelt down and clasped her hands together.

_Oh, Holy Spirits. We, thy guardians, call upon you._

A strange blue glow surrounded Hikari. Soon, it separated into small little balls of light which surrounded all four of them. She was motionless and simply continued to mutter the spell. Naruto, on the other hand, was fidgeting and feeling uneasy as the glowing blue balls of light neared him. "Hi…Hikari-chan…?" The blond nearly moved away from the circle when Sasuke yelled. "Usuratonkachii! Don't make any movements!" His glare and serious tone told Naruto that it was no laughing matter. Maybe if he moved, he could cause Hikari serious bodily harm.

_Here is the next candidate to receive your power. Guide his life, cleanse his soul._

_Show him the way. Give him wings to fly._

_Bestow your power onto him..._

_And he shall be one of us._

A bright orange light filled the whole room. Everybody was temporarily blinded when they heard a sudden scream. It was Naruto.

"Hell. Naruto!" Gaara called out as he put up an arm to his face to block the intense light emitting from him. Sasuke gave an annoyed but worried look as well and waited for the light to subside. When the light started to fade, the two of them blinked hard and long in order to see clearly once again. Yet what they saw was far from unpleasant. It was absolutely horrible.

"Naruto…you…" The red haired boy gave a short gasp.

"This isn't good." Sasuke was also staring in disbelief at him.

Naruto was not one of them. In fact, he was not an angel at all. Instead of having wings, he had nine long, slender orange-white tails and a pair of furry ears on his head. His teeth became sharpened and the 'whisker' lines on his face just got more prominent. The nails on his fingers looked sharp and vicious, just like claws. The boy raised his 'clawed' hands to his face and his body started shaking violently.

"This is…"

_You're a monster! You killed my parents!_

"This…"

_You should burn in hell! Everything is your fault!_

"No…I…"

_MONSTER! You deserve to die! Get away from us!_

"I'm…"

Finally, a soft voice rang in his head. _Naruto, don't forget. You're the legendary fox demon, Kyuubi._

Tears started to fall from his eyes. He thought that he could escape from being a monster when he reached Heaven. He thought that he could forget about everything that happened before.

"I'm…Kyuubi."

After saying so, he pulled back his head and let out a horribly pained howl.

* * *

Sakura: Okay…this was a crappy chapter. I've been busy with school work and stuff…So I don't write much and everything is in bits and pieces. x.x I hope that the readers do not mind that much. I promise I'll do better for the next chapter.

In the meantime, please READ and REVIEW.

Thanks a lot.


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